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Policeman kills rifle club instructor

A man was shot and killed Friday in North Austin after he refused to surrender his gun to a police officer and then aimed the weapon at the officer, officials say.

The man had called police about 7:20 a.m. to say he had shot and killed a pit bull that attacked him, officials said.

But shortly after officer Jonathan Whitted responded to the call, he fatally shot John Schaefer when the 70-year-old Austin Rifle Club instructor aimed a semi-automatic pistol at him, Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a news conference later in the morning.

A dispatcher had advised Schaefer to put his gun in his home on Lanshire Drive before officers arrived, Acevedo said. Schaefer refused, the chief said.

He refused again when Whitted arrived and asked him to hand over the pistol tucked in his waistband, Acevedo said.